It is known in the industry to provide a mounting bracket for trolling motors that may be stowed against the boat gunwale, with the control housing and propeller motor lying parallel to the gunwale. One of the principal problems in stowing trolling motors in this manner arises when the boat is in transit and bumps, holes, and articles on the road cause damage to the control housing, the mounting bracket, and the motor as they are jarred against the boat gunwale. Similar shock loads occur when the boat is underway using its main motor and the trolling motor is stowed.
In the past, mounting structures have been designed to fold into a recess in the hull and rest on a link supporting the column support bracket, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,834. The control head is cantilevered and puts stresses on linkage pivots when shock loads, during road transport or while motoring in the water with the main motor, cause bouncing of the control head and high stresses in pinned connections of the supporting linkage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,628 demonstrates a mounting bracket assembly that is pivotally adapted to be mounted on the boat deck. The control housing is not supported and cantilevers over the boat hull at the end of a long pivoted link. The trolling motor rests on a rubber pad that is affixed to the deck. When bumps and obstructions are encountered on the road, the overhung control unit stresses the pin connection 70 to its support link 50.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,828,186; 4,685,888; and 4,842,239 demonstrate inline shock-absorbing supports which are all used to absorb shocks on outboard motors when in a tilted position away from the transom so that damage may be avoided during trailer transport. The '888 and '186 patents show telescoping rods that are fixed to the transom and the outboard motor via bumpers and straps.
One of the biggest problems in the industry which has not been addressed is the metal fatigue and breakage that occurs at the pivot point on the mounting bracket when the trolling motor is in its stowed position. This metal fatigue occurs because a flange extends over a cavity, called the "positive stow lock feature," and is vulnerable to breakage brought about by stress induced by jarring or from high winds and wave action. Accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention is to ease the stowing of the trolling motor while simultaneously avoiding damage to the mounting bracket, the motor, and the control housing.